Short Movie Filler Day - The Boy Wonder Has Grown Up

Grayson

Posted Jul 23, 2004

Former Boy Wonder, Dick Grayson, emerges from the shadows of retirement to avenge the murder of his legendary mentor.

For my review of this short film, please refer to this link.

A Reflection on Solitude

Solitude is, by itself, a skill to master. People all around the world keep saying that only some people are "born" with or "wired" with the ability to find joy in isolation. But the truth is, everyone, even extroverts, need to master the art of solitude, no matter how elusive it may be for them.

Solitude is given all matters of stigma throughout our modern day, "hustle and bustle" society. It tends to imply that, when one is alone, that individual's a pariah for not engaging with society or tending to social events simply for the sake of it. But just as King Solomon once said that there is a time and place for everything--there is always a time and place for being alone.

One of the many disciplines involved in solitude is the art of reflection and tapping into a contentment that can only be gained by tapping into the inward.

In man's never-ending search for outward distraction and amusement, one can easily fall victim to callusing themselves to all forms of excitement, simply by over-use and repetition. But one who has mastered the art of solitude can be able to sit still in one place, alone, and still discover contentment. And, from that moment of being alone, they are renewed and rejuvenated, not only for themselves, but also in their interaction with others, their loved ones, and the rest of the world when they stop being alone. The secret lies in balance (for lack of a better term) and sadly people tend to go to either extreme.

This, by itself, is another aspect of mastering solitude--knowing when one needs it and knowing when it's too much.

Quick Update

This is just going to be a quick update on what's going on in the blog.

About a day ago, I placed an order for a web cam using some gift cards that I got from Christmas (piece of advice--once you get gift cards, be sure to use to them immediately!). According to a recent notification, the web cam has already been shipped so, hopefully, in the next day or two, I could start including video blog entries onto "The Mad Hermit".

In the long run, I think that this could be a good improvement to the blog, since it would put a more "human" face to it. Well, let's hope this works!

Learning to Survive the Everyday

While I was running a few errands today, I stopped by a gas station to fuel up my car. Pulling behind the car up in front of me, at the front pump, I was suddenly honked by a van a little bit off to the side of the gas station. Apparently, he was waiting in line before I came onto the scene. The only problem was, he wasn't even in line at all.

In fact, not only was his van several yards away from the pump that I pulled into, but the guy was talking on his cell phone the entire time and didn't even bother to pull up behind the car in front him. So the problem was basically this--if he was waiting in line then he should have BEEN in line, so people won't make the mistake (like I did) that he wasn't on line.

Overall, it was a simple misunderstanding and one of my knee jerk reactions was getting all angry about it. But you know what? I decided not to and that's what got me thinking.

Being that it was still the holiday season and given that I live in one of the most over crowded states in the world (NJ), it's not a big surprise to see the roads crowded with tons of people looking for post-Christmas deals and cutting people of here and there. At times all this rush can drive anyone nuts. But the thing is, all of us are driven nuts by simple things only when we allow them to drive us nuts. So how do we not allow these things to drive us nuts? Well, it's quite intuitive actually.

First of all, we could learn not to put ourselves in situations that are prone to bring annoyances upon us. That could include waking up early, being organized, and not waiting until the last minute.

And second of all, we could actually choose to not allow mishaps to ruin our day. Yes, sometimes situations can get so bad that feeling miserable is unavoidable. But when it comes to just dealing with simple problems, we just have to keep in mind that those simple things that annoy us are exactly that--SIMPLE things. Though they will and do make us upset for the moment, but it's really up to us to decide if we allow them to get to us or not.

Personally, I always had trouble with keeping the right attitude even during simple situations. I mean, it's only human to not be perfect. But for today, I think I'll decide to be happy. Yeah, that's a good idea.

Merry Christmas (Eve)!!!

Well, here's something a little off-beat to warm up the holidays. About 2 years ago, Carlton Draught released this ad and apparently it was huge smash on the net and it even won some awards for itself. Whether or not it actually helped the company sell more beer is a question up in the air, but something tells me that it did. How do I know this? Let's just say that the ad was very...BIG. Enjoy!

Interesting Writing Site

I recently ran into this writing during one of my blog research "excursions". I found it to be was quite witty and bluntly truthful at the same time.

The title of the blog basically speaks for itself, "101 Reasons to Stop Writing". I really enjoyed reading through it, however, I believe that the site's definition of "writing" is a little narrow given that it seems only geared towards novel and fictional writing rather than, say, technical writing or article writing. Well, then again, maybe my definition of a writer is a little broad to begin with.

(See: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/110080/what_does_it_mean_to_be_a_writer.html)

Anywho, the blog's address is http://101reasonstostopwriting.com/ and a quick link to it can be found in the link list on the right hand-bottom corner of my blog.

Random Meditations

For some reason I feel restless tonight. It's like a strange feeling of having the desire to write or to be productive, but at the same time not feeling like doing anything at all, especially during times of writer's block. This isn't the first time I felt like this. And obviously it wouldn't be the last.

For some reason this reminds me of a unique psychological condition known as "hypergraphia". A person with this condition essentially suffers from the continuous "compulsion" to constantly write. Supposedly Van Gough, the artist, suffered from this disorder and, according to some biblical scholars, the prophet Ezekial somewhat suffered from this condition as well (supposedly).

Personally, whenever I'm at a creative dead end, I have the tendency to envy those who have this condition. But at the same time I realize that the envy that I feel is narrow-minded, since what I'm wishing for is a life-debalitating condition that causes suffering to whoever has it.

It's quite strange how we tend to envy people for certain things, only to choke on the very things we envy once we received them. The problem that we have, as humans, is the tendency to idealize or repeat to ourselve "if only" continuosly without even thinking. This habit is almost intuitive to the human condition. I feel that this is because we know, deep down, that there must be something better than THIS--a world where everything that's suppose to be IS.

In a way, it's as though humanity has been imprinted within them the instict of Eden--the instinct that we are all exiles from a place that was perfect, but no longer is and that we must come back; that we must return home.

Sluggy Freelance

This is going to be a fairly quick update, so in case I don't include much detail, bear with me. What kind of comic out there talks about two guys, two girls, and their wacky adventures with a sociopathic bunny and an overly hyper ferret? What kinda plot combines horror, conspiracy, adventure, and sci-fi into an elegant mash of hilarious results? That comic is Sluggy Freelance, one of the longest running web comics in the world!

And not only that, the maker of this comic, Pete Abrams, is a fellow New Jerseyan who makes his home at Denville, NJ--only 40 minutes away from where I live. Ain't it cool!

I became a fan of this comic a few years back and I was almost immediately hooked. It might be a little hard to get into the story, since it developed, branched out, and ever-so evolved over the several years it's been online, but that's what its online archives are for, isn't it?

For those interested, the link is www.sluggy.com. Again, a quick access to it can be found in the links section!

A Simple Epiphany

There’s one major question that every blogger should ask themselves—what could I possibly contribute to the world that really wasn’t there before?

In my first few weeks of blogging and doing research on other bloggers, I discovered that a great deal of blogs out there either a.) devote most of their content to stating the obvious or b.) devote most of their content on restating or regurgitating what other people have already said or discovered.

Sadly, though, the more I write and update this blog, the more I realize that this blog is becoming no different than all the other blogs I’ve seen. Truly almost every idea has been taken! I shouldn’t be surprised though. I knew this was coming anyway. And yet here I am, complaining and stating the obvious.

I guess one of the major reasons that should drive a person into blogging is the actual love of writing—the actual passion for writing. It shouldn’t be for the attention or for the “glory” or even, to some extent, for the money (unless it’s one of the only means of income for you).

And, right now, I’ll simply make an honest confession—most of the reasons why I started this blog were based off of selfish intentions. There, I said it. And I’m very sure that this goes the same for at least 70% of the other bloggers out there if they were honest about themselves. If you ask me, this percentage would probably be higher if it wasn’t for the fact that many companies open their own blogs for some expanded income.

And, speaking of income, another reason why I opened this blog was for a potential source of earnings, since, at this point in my life, I’m only freelancing as an occupation and the freelance market has been a little dry these days. At least this is somewhat of a more legitimate reason than the others.

Either way, I think my greatest challenge at this point, for the sake of both the blog and myself, is to overcome these selfish reasons of why I first started it and simply rekindle the reason of what it should have been in the first place—a means to write for the sake of writing and for the sake of bettering others.

Fun and Games Online

This is another link expanding entry. This time it's about the universal diversion that every computer user and office worker resorts to during their lunch break--free online flash games. Two of my most favorites sites are:

1.) www.addictinggames.com - A basic site that includes almost every short flash game imaginable. They're fun, they're addictive (hence the name), and perfect for numbing the mind!

2.) Newgrounds.com - A flashy site of irreverently crude humor, originally founded on lampooning celebrities and beating up baby seals. Now expanded into its own community, Newgrounds has become a very popular site and has grown to include flash movies and actual mini-game series. Please note, many workplaces will probably block this site given that some of its material is considered R-rated (namely for its violence and toilet humor)! So do this only at home!

Again, the direct links for these sites can be found in the links section.

Wanna Know Stuff About Movies?

Today I'm going to start rolling out a basic links list that include some of the sites that I always mosey to whenever I'm on the web. But instead of just posting all the links at once without description, I figured that I'll go through maybe a few at a time and give short explainations for each as I do.

As some of my friends know, I'm an avid movie fan and I tend to try my best to keep up with movie and TV trends ahead of the game. For me, there are the two main sites that have become my stomping grounds over years:

1.) Dark Horizons - One of the best movie sites out there for news about soon to be released movies and movies that are still in production. It also features such things as interviews, trailers, commentary, and inside scoops.

http://www.darkhorizons.com/

2.) Spill.com - A movie review site and community with sharp edges and biting humor. If you don't know what I mean, check it out yourself!

www.spill.com

To easily access these links, please refer to the "Links" section on the lower right of the blog page.

Chivalry Should Not be Dead (Maybe Changed)

Nowadays, too many people get a kick out of saying “chivalry’s dead”. And a lot of them tend to say it as though it was a good thing. But why was chivalry so bad in the first place? The basic idea was supposedly that it treated women differently and, in that sense, treated them like the weaker sex.

First off, I agree with the fact that all women have just as much value as men and that all women are entitled to the same rights as any human being. Moreover, many women could be just as strong, if not stronger, than any man. If the mindset of women being the weaker sex was true to old fashioned chivalry (which it might have been), then I certainly disagree with that and that mindset can easily be changed.

But the thing is--is it wrong to be polite to a woman and treat her with respect simply because one wants to be a gentleman? I think not! Honestly, if someone’s so easily offended by being treated politely (and not patronizingly), by someone with innocent intentions, then I'd hate to be in the same room with them when they’re not.

The problem with people these days is that everyone gets so caught up in the PC-dom run around that we lose sight of common sense--even to the point where the simple act of offering a woman your seat can easily be conveyed as offensive. When people ultimately become too afraid to be polite to each other, people will eventually stop being polite altogether. And, as time passes, that day is drawing closer and closer by the minute. Someone please stop the madness!

Iron Man, Iron Man, Iron Man

Found this on:

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/lego/lego-iron-man-must-be-seen-to-be-believed-334309.php

According to the site:

"A masterful Lego builder that goes by the name of Arvo is the man responsible for this unbelievably awesome Iron Man figure. And with results like that, the dude doesn't even need a last name. Just whispering "Arvo" will get grab the attention of geeks the world over. Damn I wish there was more pictures. Apparently Arvo likes to slowly add them to increase the suspense. [Arvo's Brickshelf Gallery via Brothers Brick via Neatorama]"

Wonder if this guy could do one for each member of the Justice League?

Some Offbeat Stuff

Something that I wrote up a while ago with a computer and too much time on my hands. Enjoy!

Horrible Movie Concepts:
“Winnie the Pooh VS. Tigger 2” – The ultimate sci-fi horror showdown between Winnie the Pooh and the new cybernetic prototype of his betrayed friend Tigger who has risen from the dead.

“Somewhere Over the Rainbow…of DEATH” – The Wicked Witch is back and she’s back with a vengeance. Armed with a shotgun and her past companions, who all went to Japan to learn martial arts, Dorothy hopes to take her down for good. And this time, it’ll take a lot more than just a bucket of water!

“Bowflex: The Movie” – John Jay, an ex-Navy Seal and part-time FBI agent, has recently joined the CIA to hunt down the criminal-terrorist-drug-lord who murdered his brother during a drug-deal-bank-robbery/political assassination gone wrong. In his quest for revenge, John recruits an unlikely ally—a high-tech Bowflex machine with a dark and troubled past. Can these two work together to solve this crime or will their troubled relationship act to further drive them apart?

“Catwoman’s Glitter 2: The Battlefield Gigli” – A girl with big dreams pursues a music career while acting as a bodyguard for the mafia who’s at war with an alien race seeking to enslave humanity, while fending off the vigilante attacks of a woman dressed as a cat.

“Public TV Pledge Drive: The Movie” – Some old guy/lady talks about giving money to public TV in exchange for a tote bag for about two hours straight…oh wait, they kinda do that already. This movie is brought to you by the Chubb Institute and The Learning Foundation (“Higher learning for higher education.”).

“The Day Before Tomorrow” – A pre-apocalyptic movie that takes place exactly in the present day and exactly at the present moment. It’s just basically a movie theatre with one large mirror in front of the audience instead of a movie screen.

“Kid’s Infomercial: The Movie” – Also known as “Yugi-oh: the Movie”.

My Mr. Sensitivity Day

Just a few days back I was out for dinner with a few friends and we were all joking around. But at one point, I joked around a little too much with one of my close friends and I inadvertently ended up hurting him on a personal level. Of course, at the time, I wasn't fully aware of it. But once the next day came, my friend finally approached me and expressed how he felt. After letting him vent, I felt so miserable and apologized to him about the incident.

There are a lot of things people do these days to each other that end up causing deeper wounds than they would expect. Over time, these wounds fester and lead to bitterness and eventually division. Somehow, in today's society, it's almost become a basic taboo to honestly display emotions and confront each other when feelings are hurt.

Rather than say "I'm sorry if I hurt you" or "You know, you did hurt me a lot when you said that," people are more prone to say, "Stop being a wuss!" or "Come on! Get a sense of humor!"

Yes, sometimes we need to strong when we need to be and sometimes we need to have a sense humor when the situation calls for it. But there's nothing wrong with being human and there should never be anything wrong with acting human and treating others like human beings themselves.

Bottom Line:
1.) Learn to aware of each other’s feelings. Jokes can carry too far even when you least expect it.
2.) There's nothing wrong with telling a friend if they hurt you. The more you wait, the worse it will be.

Proving God

I stumbled on this video several months ago about proving God's existence. I must admit, this is one of the best arguments I've ever heard so far. I really respect this guy. Though he's bashed a lot by other YouTuber's (namely atheist ones), he's got my positive vote.

My Two Cents on the “China Rise”

Ever since Beijing was chosen for the 2008 Olympics, China has been prepping to peacock itself to the entire world. From rush programs to clean up its own smog to teaching its own citizens and merchants how to deal “politely” with foreigners, China is going the whole nine-yards in reputation building.

But the biggest thing that troubles me about China is that, over the past few years since their economic boom, their focus seems so geared on becoming a “great nation” that they seem to lose sight of what it means to be a great nation. Yes, every nation isn’t perfect and every nation has its number of flaws (even America), but hear me out on this.

Based on the current trend, much of China’s focus is presently devoted to economic growth and public image. But what about improving human rights and religious freedoms? But what about proving itself as a moral nation to the international community, rather that continue to sell weapons to such countries as Sudan and North Korea? But what about proving itself as a nation of economic integrity, by pumping out quality products without cutting corners or adding in dangerous substances that can be detrimental to anyone exposed?

China is currently in a similar position that the United States was during its Industrial Revolution. Its economy is booming and its upper class population is swelling. But concepts, such as workers’ rights and environmental regulation, are still in infantile stages within the nation and, as a result, both the global environment and its own people have suffered. And to make things worse, countries that buy Chinese products suffer as well. In my opinion, China is growing in success faster than it can adapt to the responsibilities that come with success. And unless it’s willing to take a good look at itself, beyond the seduction of economic wealth and the superficial glitter of public image—it will never truly be a great nation.

Welcome to the "Blog"

This is my first attempt at trying out the "blogging"experience. As of now, I don't really have an exact theme for my blog other than having it to be a journal of miscellaneous thoughts and discoveries about my life.

For those who read, feel free to introduce yourself, comment, or maybe crack a fine joke. I'm always in the mood for humor, providing that it's good of course. Right now, this is a fairly quick entry as I'm about to embark on a short trip to Philly to attend my nephew's baby dedication at my brother's church.

Personally, I hope this blog would be the beginning of a wonderul endeavor for me as it would be to whoever reads this. If not, at least it would be some sort of creative outlet for me to vent and express my views (whether offensive or inoffensive).